SUPERHEROES are never meant to be identified, but several reports on the lead actor in the latest Spider-Man film are attempting to do just that with claims he has Surrey connections.

Andrew Garfield, 28, has been the talk of the film industry after being handed the role of Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man, due for release on Tuesday next week.

Now it seems a number of Surrey towns are claiming ownership of the actor, who also played Eduardo Saverin in the 2010 film The Social Network.

In mid-June, The Times reported that Garfield was a “lad from Guildford”. Eagle Radio concurred, while entertainment website ContactMusic.com claimed it was just early acting classes that had taken place in Surrey’s county town. Others linked him with Ashtead.

With the general consensus being that he was brought up in Surrey, the challenge was on to find where Garfield does indeed hail from.

A Wikipedia search yielded the first clue, stating that the American-born actor moved to England aged three and attended Priory Preparatory School in Banstead before moving on to City of London Freemen’s School in Ashtead.

Another useful piece of information came in the revelation that his father Richard is the current chief coach at Guildford City Swimming Club.

A call to his mobile confirmed this, bringing the search for answers tantalisingly close to a conclusion. However, the non-swimming-related enquiry resulted in a swift end to the conversation as Mr Garfield Sr hung up even before the question had been asked.

The tip-off that Garfield had attended City of London Freemen’s School as a teenager led to a more successful line of inquiry and the promise of a word with his old drama teacher Phil Tong.

Mr Tong spoke of having discovered Garfield in 1998 after watching him aged 15 in an amateur production playing the part of a baby and wearing a giant romper suit.

“He was so extraordinary, you just had to watch,” said Mr Tong. “I convinced him to take up drama as an A-level despite the fact he had not studied drama at GCSE and he just grew and grew.

“You always knew he had something but he was also a really good student and took his classes seriously. He was also into his cricket and is actually a really good spin bowler.”

Mr Tong said that, to his knowledge, claims that Garfield took additional acting classes in Guildford were incorrect and that he believed God-given acting talent was more sought-after by big-name producers.

Mr Tong also revealed the vital information to set the record straight, adding: “Andrew lived in Banstead.”

He added that, while Garfield had now returned to live in America, he was set to revisit Surrey for a “big occasion” in the near future, but that no more information could be revealed.

While the occasion remains a mystery, it is safe to say the identity of this Surrey superhero has been cleared up.